Stuffed Potatoes With Creamy Corn Filling

Stuffed Potatoes with Creamy Corn Filling

 This was another thing that I had made  the Lunch on Sunday. I am absolutely in love with the creamy corn Stuffing. It goes well with many dishes . I have previously used them in my first blog post Stuffed Pastry  and Stuffed Onions. Add some more mashed potatoes to the stuffing and it can be served on its own.
I have made these before too and it is tremendously loved. The recipe is a modified version of the recipe of Chef Sanjeev Kapoor. The changes I have made is removing the peel of the potatoes and increasing the baking time to get the golden colour.

Before  I start the recipe, Let me tell you a funny thing. I enabled the blog archive feature today, and noticed that I started the blog in Jan 23,  2011. And all this while I was thinking that it was in December.  So,I posted the 6th month anniversary post in 5 months only.!!! I seriously need some memory pills. :D


Ingredients

4 large Potatoes
2 tbsp Butter
2 tbsp All purpose flour[Maida]
1 1/2 cups Milk
1 cup Corn kernels, boiled
Salt to taste
4-5 Peppercorns, crushed
4 tablespoons Fresh cream
1/2 cup Cheese, grated [ I have used mozzarella]
2 tablespoons Fresh parsley, chopped


Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 200º C. 
2. Boil potatoes with skin so that it is cooked but not mushy.
3. When cooled, remove the peel ,halve lengthwise, scoop out the potatoes leaving thick shells. Keep aside.
4. Grate scooped out potatoes. Keep aside.
5. For the filling, heat butter in a pan, add refined flour and roast. Add milk gradually and cook stirring continuously. Cook for two minutes stirring continuously. Add boiled corn kernels, salt, half the crushed peppercorns and stir. Add grated potatoes to the corn mixture and mix. Add fresh cream, half the grated cheese and mix again. Add chopped parsley. 
6. Place the potato shells on a baking tray. Stuff them up with the filling. Sprinkle the remaining cheese and the remaining crushed peppercorns on the top.
7. Bake in the preheated oven at 200º C for 15-25 minutes or till the cheese turns golden. Serve hot.

Chocolate Banana Cupcakes

As promised, I am here with the recipe for the Chocolate Banana Cupcakes. It had been a long time since I had sent my baked goodies to my Husband's office. So I decided to make these cupcakes for them. The feedback was tremendous. My husband was asked if I delivered to home too, or if  I needed a shop. :-D
I got the recipe from tasteofhome. It was a plain banana cake to which I added chocolate. These are best when served fresh within few hours. It was great fun decorating these too..I made the flowers too ..3 flowers on each cupcake , around 60 flowers :))

Ingredients
[20 mini cupcakes]
1/2 cup shortening [ I didn't have shortening, used 1/2 cup butter + 3-4 tbsp vegetable oil)
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa
3/4 cup dark chocolate ,melted
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk

Chocolate Ganache 
8 oz Dark Chocolate
4 oz Cream

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in bananas and vanilla.
• Sieve the flour, baking soda, cocoa,baking powder and salt in a separate bowl.
• Add the dry ingredients to wet mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.Fold in melted chocolate.
• Fill paper-lined  cupcake tin two-thirds full. Bake at 375F/190C for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. 
• For Ganache, melt chocolate and whisk it smooth. Heat cream and add to melted chocolate. Stir till smooth. Add more cream, to reach to required consistency.  Dip the top of cupcakes into the ganache. Sprinkle some decorations and let it set in refrigerator for 30 minutes for the ganache to set.

I am sending these to following events.
 Healing Foods - Banana event by Siri hosted by Kirti 
Bookmarked Recipes - Every Tuesday event by Aipi & Priya.
Hearth and Soul Hop

Eggplant Rolls with Spinach and Feta Cheese

It was an amazing weekend. We had my husband's colleagues at home for lunch. It has been a while since I cooked a grand lunch. So, it was the time. They were to come on Sunday. The planning began Friday night. On the menu were few things that  I have cooked before and most of the others for the first time. Cooking anything for first time and that too when guests are home sounds scary, but for me they come always come out good [touch wood]. Most of the recipes on this blog too are my first time attempt as I don't cook often. 
The daily meal is cooked by the cook and I only cook when we have guests at home, or we want to have something special and now if I have to put something on the blog. :-) 
Once the menu was finalized, Saturday was for grocery shopping. Though I must be one of the rarest of rarest case of woman who hates to shop and above all one who hates to shop for clothes,  grocery shopping is something I enjoy. There are some surprises too that one encounters. I found Dragon Fruit in Hypercity. Now this is one fruit that I have been admiring on other international blogs. I was so tempted to buy them, but they were priced over 350  rupees. Some day when I feel extravagant,I might just buy them. 

Shopping done, It was time to do some pre-work. On the menu was Homemade Tortilla chips with cucumber mint dip, Pasta Salad,Eggplant rolls with creamy dill sauce, Stuffed potatoes with creamy corn filling, Herbed Stuffed Mushrooms ,creamy mashed potatoes and Chicken in oyster sauce and veggies cooked by husband. I could only take photographs of stuffed potatoes,tortilla chips and eggplant rolls. Herbed Stuffed Mushrooms  recipe is already on the blog. 

Coming to the recipe, I will start with Eggplant rolls stuffed with Spinach and Feta Cheese. One of our guests couldn't have garlic and onions , so most of the recipes were without them. This one was a hit among the guests. I couldn't find long eggplants and basil leaves,so the size of rolls is small, which was good in a way that it was bite size.I replaced Basil leaves with Spinach. 

I served them with Creamy Dill Sauce

Ingredients
The recipe is inspired from here.


2 Eggplants
1 bunch Spinach leaves, washed,cleaned and chopped
100 gms Feta cheese,crumbled
Salt 
Olive Oil


Preparation

1. Cut Eggplants lengthwise into thin slices and generously sprinkle with salt.  Let it stand in the colander for 30 minutes to release water.
2. Rinse well and dry well.
3. In a nonstick pan or grill , fry eggplant slices in olive oil till golden brown on  both sides. Let it cool.
4. To make the stuffing, heat 1 tsp oil and cook spinach for few minutes. Let it cool and drain excess water from it. Mix it with crumbled Feta cheese. Both Feta cheese and spinach are already salty, so add salt only if needed.
5. Lay flat the eggplant slices, at the broader end, fill spinach and crumbled feta cheese mixture. Roll up.

Creamy Dill Sauce

I had to make a sauce or dip to serve the eggplant rolls with.  The Dill sauce was top on my mind. I felt it would go well with the eggplants. It is a runny sauce, If you want to have a thicker dip, hung curd/yogurt should be used instead. It must be the simplest of all recipes on this blog


Ingredients
The recipe is adapted  from sunshineandsmile

1 cup plain curd/yogurt
1/4 cup cream
1/2 cup fresh dill
1/4 cup cilantro
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper

Preparation
Grind all the ingredients in a mixer/grinder to a smooth sauce.

Six Months of SinFoodie

I completely forgot that I completed six months of blogging yesterday. And I remembered only a few minutes back. It was by chance that I made these banana chocolate cupcakes yesterday. Here is to celebrate the Six month anniversary.  I never thought I will be able to sustain for so long. But ,It has been for you lovely readers,silent ones too who have motivated me to keep going. Your comments, site visit counts all mean so much to me.

The recipe will follow some other day. :D:D

Methi Matar Mushroom

Finally this recipe has come out of the draft status. It has been lying there waiting for a photo. Not that I haven't made it since then, but couldn't take a photograph. I make this often, It is quick and easy and whenever I want to have something delicious and don't want to put much effort,this one comes immediately to my mind.
For a long time I absolutely hated anything in a white gravy. And as it happened, whatever new dish I would try at a restaurant would inadvertently turn out to be something in white. Being used to spicy food,I just couldn't ever eat more than few spoonfuls.  But things changed, when I started cooking on my own. There are few ingredients like kasoori methi[ Dried fenugreek leaves], freshly ground pepper that really enhances the taste. So, I add them whenever I make white gravy.

Ingredients

[ For 2 people]

6 or 8  Mushrooms

3/4 cup  green Peas

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 small onion grated

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

2 tbsp cashew-nut paste

3 tbsp kasoori methi/Dried fenugreek leaves]

2 green chilies chopped

3/4 tsp freshly grounded pepper

1 tsp red chili powder

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup milk

salt

2 tsp oil

1 tbsp butter

Preparation

1. Boil peas till they are almost cooked.
2. Cut mushroom into quarters.Heat butter in pan .Add mushrooms and  stir fry on high flame till mushrooms are dry and golden. Add little salt and pinch of black pepper. Stir fry  for a minute. Keep them aside
3. Heat 2 tsp of oil, add cumin seeds.When they splutter add grated onion  and  ginger garlic paste.Cook till onion is translucent.
4. Add cashew nut paste and cook on low heat till oil separates. 
5. Add cream, milk , kasoori methi ,green chilies and cook for 2-3 minute.
6. Add salt, chilli powder, ground pepper and stir for a minute.
7. Add the boiled peas and mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes. If the gravy looks dry you can add some more milk/water and cook.
8. Serve it hot with rotis/chapatis.

Makhana Matar /Lotus Seeds and Peas Curry

I had heard of Makhana/Lotus Seeds/Foxnut Curry sometime back but have never tasted it. At home, it was only used in sweet dishes and also as a snack[ stir fry it in butter till it is golden brown and crispy and add salt/pepper or chaat masala]. So when I saw it the menu of   Kebab and Kurries , I read the description and main ingredients carefully so that I could try it later. It was a lotus seeds ,peas in a yogurt based curry.
This recipe is  an adaptation of the recipe here . I must say , this was a nice and different taste.
The clarified butter and the saboot garam masala[ cinnamon,cardamom,cloves] accentuates the taste.

Ingredients

2 Cups Makhana /Lotus Seeds[Choose big seeds]
1 Cup Green Peas
1 tbsp clarified butter/ghee
1 and 1/2 tbsp butter
1 Bay Leaf
1 inch Cinnamon Stick
3 cloves
2 large Cardamom
1/2 cup Cashewnut paste
1 tbsp ginger/garlic paste
1 medium Onion ,chopped
1 cup beaten curd
Salt,to taste
1 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1/3 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp Kashmiri Red chili powder
1 tsp garam masala
4 tbsp cream
1 cup water, add some more if needed.

Preparation

1. Parboil Peas and keep aside.
2. Heat clarified butter/ghee and stir fry the Makhana/lotus seeds till golden brown.Keep aside.
3. Heat butter in a pan and then add bay leaf,cinnamon,cardamom,cloves.Saute till they start to crackle.
4. Add ginger/garlic paste and sauté well.Add onions and fry till translucent.
5. Add cashewnut paste and sauté till the butter separates.
6. Add curd,coriander powder,cumin seeds powder,salt,pepper,turmeric powder, red chili powder and garam masala powder.
7. Add Green Peas ,Makhanas and water and let the gravy simmer well.
8. Add cream and let it simmer for few minutes.
9. Serve Hot.

Sinful Chocolate Espresso Brownies

The recipe for this brownie is one of the most famous recipes online. And I must say these brownies are one  of the richest chocolate brownies I have tasted.  It is absolutely sinful. This was part of the baked goodies that I made for my niece and nephew. The photograph has been taken in a hurry as it was around 2 at night and I had an early morning flight to catch. I was too tired to do any lighting or plating and I just clicked them as I didn't want to miss putting the recipe of this delicious,brownie on the blog. This recipe is a keeper and I am surely going to make them again.

One of the mistakes I did while making these was not using the correct size pan. I had initially thought to bake them in 2 batches as I have only one square pan which is smaller than the 9*13 inch pan mentioned in the original recipe . To save time, I discarded the idea of doing 2 batches and poured the entire batter in my smaller pan. I didn't mind having them twice the original size. But what I didn't anticipate was that the baking time would almost be the same if  I had done them in 2 batches. And even after the increased baking time , some portion at the centre was still goey. I finally had to give up trying to get the centre ones baked as I was afraid I wouldn't get up on time if I spent more time on baking, There was hardly 3 hours left for sleeping.
Anyways, as long as it ends well, all the agony that one goes through to reach it, is forgotten. Everyone absolutely loved these brownies. And I learned a new lesson in baking that "Size does matter" :-D


Here is the recipe from Brown Eyed Baker.

Ingredients
[24 brownies]

1 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1& 1/3 cup (11 ounces) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp instant espresso powder
1& 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
5 eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract


Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/176C . Butter the sides and bottom of a 9×13-inch glass or light-colored baking pan and line with parchment paper.Let the parchment paper overhang so that it is easy to pull the brownies when baked.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together.Keep aside
3. Put the chocolate, butter and instant espresso powder in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan.
4. When the chocolate mixture comes to room temperature, Add 3 eggs to it and whisk until combined. Add the remaining 2 eggs and whisk until combined. Add and mix the vanilla . Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cake-like.
5. Add the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Increase the baking time if center is not done
7. Let the brownies cool completely, then lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into squares and serve.

Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies

I always crib that since I do most of my cooking/baking at night, after my office hours, I can't click their photographs in natural light. That's why I love baking cookies. We don't have to click them as soon as they are made. And I can pester my husband to click some photos before he leaves for the office next morning.   Photography is something I don't enjoy yet. I hope ,I start it soon, because it is so necessary for a food blog.

These cookies  and the Crunchy Sesame Seeds cookies were made for my nephew and niece who are visiting my mom in Delhi for their summer vacation. They and the family loved it so much that in two days all the cookie jars are empty. This one was yet again a crumbly cookie. I didn't like them as much as my family did. Seems, I have to take a break from crumbly cookies to enjoy them again.

Here is the recipe from Sweetest Kitchen
Ingredients
30 Cookies
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup Crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Nutella

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 F/ 175C
2. Combine butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Mix them together very well.
3. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Drizzle Nutella on top of the dough then swirl it through the dough with a knife. 
4. Chill the dough for 15 minutes. 
5. Roll into balls by hand. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. 
6. Press down the balls with a fork to create a crisscross pattern.
7. Bake until edges are very lightly browned about 10 -12 minutes.

Linking It to Priya's and Aipi's Bookmarked event.

Crunchy Sesame Seeds Cookies

These cookies are super awesome. If you love sesame seeds, then this is a must try.  I have had enough of making chewy and crumbly cookie. This time I specifically searched for crunchy cookies recipes and among many recipes I was immediately attracted to these. Sesame seeds sweets in various forms is very common in India. So,I knew I was going to like this anyway. I was so happy that it turned out so good. This recipe is definitely a keeper, something you can make and send to your friends and family.  

Here is the recipe from SimplyRecipes

 Ingredients

1 cup sesame seeds, toasted

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preparation

1.     Preheat oven to 325 F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2.    Toast the sesame seeds in a heavy skillet over medium heat until they are almost golden brown. Don’t over brown them because that would give it a bitter taste.  I kept tasting them as soon as they started browning to check for bitterness.

3.    Beat the brown sugar and butter together in a bowl for several minutes until fluffy. Beat in the egg.

4.    Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder, then add these dry ingredients to the butter, sugar, egg mixture, mix well. Stir in the toasted sesame seeds, vanilla extract, and lemon juice.

5.    (Optional): Chill the dough for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. This makes it easier to drop the cookies on the sheets. I did both with and without chilling. Felt it spread more without chilling.

6.    Drop half tablespoon of dough onto prepared cookie sheets. Leave 2 inches space between each drop as these cookies spread a lot.

7.    Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until the edges are slightly brown. Let it cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes and then transfer to a rack to continue cooling.

8.    Makes around 30 cookies.